Raise your hand if you get as exhausted as I do watching and listening to some of the ESPN NFL personalities. From their kneejerk reactionary comments to their hyperactive herky-jerky partial squatty touchscreen work, the World Wide Leader has become a collection of dudes in an arms race for engagement.
Take Dan Orlovsky's latest hot take on Caleb Williams as a perfect example. Orlovsky appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday and suggested that Williams is the only first-round quarterback from the 2024 NFL Draft who hasn't developed during his rookie season.
Check it out:
Dan Orlovsky is concerned because Caleb Williams is the only rookie QB that he hasn’t seen improvement in. 👀 #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/6uSLPDS8TJ
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) December 17, 2024
"Here's my concern about Caleb," Orlovsky said, "he hasn't improved this year. He's the only quarterback as a rookie this season playing that hasn't improved and hasn't developed. All the other guys have. Jayden Daniels absolutely has. He's gotten better throughout the year. Drake Maye has gotten better throughout the year. Bo Nix unquestionably has gotten better throughout the year. And the stuff that has been the issue or the wart or the question coming out of school is still very much so the concern.
He's still a playmaker and he's not enough of a quarterback right now."
Orlovsky banged the drum that's become the talking points of groupthink: Caleb isn't taking the easy throws; the easy misses; playing in rhythm; and seeing the field clean.
Look, no one is saying Caleb Williams has been perfect this season, but good lord, can we give the kid some credit for playing his ass off in what's become the most dysfunctional environment in the NFL? Sure, the other first-round rookies have played well (as has Williams), but none of them have had three offensive coordinators AND their head coach fired during the season. None of them play behind an offensive line as terrible as Chicago's.
Meanwhile, Williams has a chance to end the 2024 season with the most passing yards and TDs of all the rookie quarterbacks. He's already set the NFL record for the most games by a rookie without an interception, and he currently has the longest active streak of passes without an interception in the league.
Imagine a scenario where the Chicago Bears didn't give up the Hail Mary to the Commanders... and didn't have a game-winning field goal blocked against the Packers... and knew how to use a timeout, forced overtime against the Lions, and pulled off a massive upset on Thanksgiving. The Bears would be a team in the thick of a playoff race, and the exact same Caleb Williams season that guys like Orlovsky are torching would be viewed very, very differently.
Here's some advice: make use of that mute button on your television for the rest of the year whenever ESPN begins discussing Caleb Williams. Your mental health will thank you.